Patent GB-124949-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to Automatic Weft-replenishing Looms
Inventor: WADE HAROLD
IPC: D03D45/20
Filed: 1918-05-17
Abstract: 124,949. Wade, H., (Hopedale Manufacturing Co.). May 17, 1918. Weft-replenishing mechanism; weft, cutting.-In an automatic loom of the kind in which the weft-replenishing mechanism is controlled by a weft feeler and weft-cutting mechanism is located at the replenishing side to sever the weft from the spent and fresh bobbins, weftfork mechanism for stopping the loom is located between the cutting and replenishing mechanisms to detect the failure of weft when the shuttle is boxed at the replenishing side before the operation of the weft-cutting mechanism : a shuttie feeler is arranged to stop the loom if the shuttle is improperly boxed after indication for weft-replenishment. The weft fork 54, Fig. 1, is pivoted on a slide 50 movable in a guide 51 on the breast beam, and the front end 62 of the slide acts on an arm 63 secured to a rock-shaft 15 freely mounted within a tubular change-shaft 14, which is rocked by the weft-feeler mechanism to initiate weft-replenishment through an arm 37 thereon, rocking of the shaft 15 causing the release of the shipper to stop the loom. The weft fork is located between the weft-replenishing mechanism and weftcutting mechanism comprising a series of blades 17, which extend between and co-operate with the dents of the reed 25, each blade having a rearwardly-directed knife-edge 47. The blades are secured to a block 26 fast on a crank-shaft 27 with a crank-pin 32 normally held down by a cam 28 on a controller 29 pivoted on a fixed stud 30, which passes through a slot 44 in the controller. When the arm 37 is swung forwards on initiation of weftreplenishment, a shoulder 34 on a latch lever 35 pivoted to the arm 37 is moved from under the front end of a release lever 33 also pivoted on the stud 30, so that the front end of the lever 33 falls and acts through a slot 40 therein on a pin 41 on the controller. The hooked front end 42 of the controller descends into position to be engaged by a bunter 43 on the lay, and the controller is moved forwards, freeing the crank-pin 32 from the cam so that the blades 17 descend into position to engage and sever the weft as the lay moves it forwards. As the controller moves forwards, the pin 41 raises the release lever 33, but, as the shoulder 34 is not returned to its normal position until the return movement of the arm 37 takes place after weft-replenishment, the release lever is not held up by the shoulder until after two cutting operations for the weft from the spent and fresh bobbins respectively. A spring returns the controller to its rearward position and raises the blades 17. The cutting operation takes place when the warps are crossing the reed about an inch from the fell; therefore, to prevent the stoppage of the loom by the action of the weft fork at each cutting operation, the fork is disposed more to the rear than usual to bring its tines 55 into co-operation with the grid 57 before the knife edges 47 act on the weft. As the lay is moving forwards rapidly at this time, the fork is provided with a pin 67 disposed in front of its pivot and adapted to be engaged by a cross-bar 68 to the rear of the hook 59 of the weft hammer 61 to prevent rebound of the weft fork and consequent entanglement with the weft. As the weft is at the replenishing side of the loom when the shuttle is boxed with its eye at the end farther from the selvedge, it is not acted upon by trailing ends, and mispicks are prevented from occurring. Mispicks consequent on stoppage of the weft-replenishing operation when the shuttle is improperly boxed are also prevented by arranging the shuttle-feeler mechanism to effect loom stoppage. The shuttle feeler 78 is pivoted at 79 and connected by a link 81 to an arm 83 pivoted on a fixed stud 84 and yieldingly connected by a spring 86, Fig. 6, to the arm 37, so that, when this arm is swung forwards, the shuttle feeler is swung into the feeling position, and an arm 95 on the hub of the arm 83 is swung upwards and acts through a slot 96 therein and a pin 97 on the housing of the transferrer latch 88 to raise this latch into position to be struck by the lay bunber 89. If the shuttle is improperly boxed it acts on the shuttle feeler and moves the arm 95 downwards so that the latch 88 is moved out of the path of the bunter 89, and the pin 97 strikes a ledge 100 on a stop latch 21, which is pivoted at 70 to an arm 20 on the shaft 15. The latch 21 is thus depressed against the action of a spring 71 into a position such that its notched end 76 is engaged by a bunter 22 on the lay, and the arm 20 is swung forwards to rock the shaft 15 and stop the loom.